The Game Changer

In the relatively short span of aviation history, invention—usually driven by the necessity of war and/or competition—has accelerated the growth of aircraft performance at an amazing pace. In less than 40 years, in just the speed category, we went from the Wright Flyer topping out at 30 mph in 1903 to the first-ever operational jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262, which clocked speeds over 550 mph. In the next 35 years, jet performance took off and peaked in 1976, when the SR-71 Blackbird sped to a still unsurpassed (as far as we know!) record 2,193 mph.

You can’t achieve that type of growth rate without having “game changers” along the way. A “game changer” would be an aircraft that redefines an ability and/or performance in its category by accomplishing something that previously wasn’t feasible, practical or even safe. Examples include the 1915 Fokker Eindecker with it’s then-new ability to fire a gun through the propeller arc straight ahead, defining the airplane as a weapon. In the early ’30s, response to fears about wooden aircraft being safe airliners brought about the innovative all-metal construction of the DC-2, changing the airline industry forever. The perfect combination of a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and the P-51 Mustang with its laminar-flow wing, allowing for speed, maneuverability and the range to escort bombers all the way to target and back, changed the tide of World War II. Bill Lear and his Model 23 jets showed the world that if time is money, now there’s a class of business aircraft that can save gobs of it with speed and luxury. And in the world of aerobatics ruled by the biplane, Leo Loudenslager and his custom Laser 200 won a still-unprecedented seven U.S. Aerobatic Championships, showing the sport-aircraft world that the monoplane was going to be the new direction for competition and air-show flying in the future.

Today, with the exception of military aircraft, you don’t hear much about “game changers.” That’s why my heart leapt when I heard air-show performer Rob Holland’s voice-mail message after he had tested out the latest offering from MX Aircraft (www.mxaircraft.com), the MXS-RH. “This aircraft is going to be a game changer,” he said in his always-calm voice about his first impressions of the new plane.

“Pulling straight, I climbed 3,500 feet effortlessly and then accelerated unbelievably quickly out of the top,” Holland continued. “This plane carries energy like a 2,000 hp warbird that weighs only 1,200 pounds! The controls are so light, and the rudder authority is unbelievable. I will be able to do maneuvers I could only dream of before!” But a game changer? That’s a pretty bold prediction.

Holland would know; he has one of the most sought-after air-show acts (www.ultimateairshows.com) and a list of aerobatic titles as long as your arm, including Advanced World Champion. For the past four years, he has been flying the MX2, the two-place version from MX Aircraft, and has worked with the company to help it become one of the premier builders of top-level aerobatic aircraft in the world.

“We listen to the best in the business for design ideas,” says company founder and owner Chris Meyer. “In addition to building state-of-the-art, safe, solid designs, our goals include continued improvements in speed, maneuverability and even more control responsiveness while, all the time, working on making the aircraft lighter. The MXS-RH is the culmination of everything we’ve learned in speed modifications, from working with the Red Bull Air Race to incorporating ideas from champions like Sergey Rakhmanin and Rob Holland on making a more potent tail for unprecedented pitch and yaw authority.”

Air-show pilot Gary Ward was nice enough to stop by with his MX2 for a comparison of the different feature changes of the MXS-RH, as well as fly the camera ship for the air-to-air photo shoot. Above, the changes in the vertical fin and tail area are shown to advantage with the shorter vertical stab and lengthened rudder horn.

From The MXS To MXS-RH

MX constructs its aircraft out of Toray carbon-fiber parts that are aerospace certified and used on everything from Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner to today’s cutting-edge military aircraft. This material allows for a practically seamless fit without using any exterior moldings or fasteners, creating a very slick airframe, capable of straight and level speeds in excess of 250 mph.

The company offers two basic designs to build from: the two-seat MX2 and the single-place MXS, similar to the version flown in the Red Bull Air Race. “The wing and aileron design of the MX have always been its strong point with owners,” explains Meyer. “With a +14/-14 G rating and one of the fastest roll rates (almost 500 degrees per second) of any aerobatic plane in its class, the real potential we felt was in the tail.”

Holland, who has the perspective of having been a “biplane guy” for most of his aerobatic career, chimes in: “Tumbles are a large part of my air show and are very popular with the crowds. While the MX2 does a great job allowing me to do true nose-to-tail outside maneuvers, I still felt there was room for improvement.”

With a 45-degree incline for the seat, it takes a minute to get used to the position, but just like with the F-16, the incline is better for G-force tolerance. MX Aircraft leaves the choice of instrumentation wide open for the customer, and Rob Holland selected the Dynon SkyView as the main presentation source for engine and attitude feedback. The seat is custom molded to your posture, and you even can have an autopilot installed.

The latest iteration of the MXS is the MXS-RH, and it’s no coincidence that those are Holland’s initials. When Holland was still flying the Ultimate 20-300 biplane, Meyer invited him to test-fly the MX prototype to get his opinion on the design. “I wasn’t too excited about the idea, but Chris was such a down-to-earth, nice guy, that I decided to give it a whirl. I had flown and instructed in monoplane aerobatic aircraft before, and they never really interested me that much, so I wasn’t expecting any great thrill. When airborne and moving the controls for the first time, I thought, ‘this is pretty nice,’ but I didn’t let myself get too excited about it, as I am a ‘biplane guy.’ But the more I flew it, the more excited I became, and in competition, I could see the judges really seemed to respond to the aircraft. I was hooked!”

Holland’s experience with the Ultimate biplane influenced some of the changes on the new MXS-RH. “We replaced the rounded rudder on the Ultimate with a pointed version at the bottom, so we would have additional area in the prop wash where the rudder is most effective. Not only did this give increased rudder authority for maneuvers, the aircraft also seemed to present itself straighter in the air to the judges, an important quality when it comes to competition flying. I always wanted to try the same changes to the MXS, knowing it had to make a difference, and it did! At 100 mph, pushing the rudder with full swing, the RH yawed almost 90 degrees with not much pressure at all! I was laughing to myself, thinking of all of the new possibilities in maneuvers with just this one change.”

In addition to the rudder dimensions being different, MX changed the rudder shape from a concave foil to a more standard wing shape. The vertical stabilizer was shortened by two inches, and the rudder horn was lengthened vertically by two inches, taking a lot of pressure off of the pedals. In fact, Holland claims the RH is about three times as light on the controls as the stock MXS.

Other areas of improvement are the horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The stock MXS has a one-degree angle of incidence in the horizontal stab, just like the MX2. However, while the negative and positive pitch characteristics of the MX2 were good, the stock MXS being eight inches shorter felt heavy in the negative or push of the elevator. So for the new MXS-RH, the horizontal incidence was brought to zero, a slight change that made the push-and-pull pressure equal and light. MX Aircraft also changed the shape of the elevator, increasing the cord by four inches at the root, which in Holland’s words, “made the elevator come alive with authority,” and again, he says it’s almost three times as effective as his MX2!

Other changes included a seat recline of 45 degrees from the 37 decreed by Red Bull Air Race rules, and a new cowling that incorporates speed and cooling modifications learned from Red Bull, as well. The canopy redesign also is a speed mod tweaked for more visibility in the MXS-RH over the Red Bull version.

Is It For Everyone?

With all of this capability, I had to ask Holland about this aircraft in the hands of your average aerobatic pilot who may have time flying a Decathlon or the like and wants to go to the next level—is this too much airplane? “That seems to be the biggest misconception about the MX,” answers Holland. “While I have my elevator overbalanced for a very sensitive feel, that’s not the way they come from the factory. The aircraft is tunable, and could be set up for anyone who has a modest amount of tailwheel time. Anyone getting into the sport of aerobatic competitions could fly the Sportsman category all the way through the highest level of Unlimited, all in the same plane…imagine how good one would get in the aircraft.”

The streamlined quality of the MXS-RH canopy is evident in this comparison (left), molded from the Red Bull racing version with more glass added behind and on top for better over-the-shoulder visibility. Rob Holland (right, kneeling) poses with his team, Mike Ganor and Tommy Freeman.

Watching Holland fly his new airplane during our air-to-air photo flight, I could tell the MXS-RH has exciting potential. One tumble he executed was nose-to-tail inside, something I’ve never seen before. And he hasn’t even broken in the engine yet! “After I return from the Unlimited World competition, I’m going to exploit the new capabilities of this plane for my air-show routine,” Holland grins. “Next year is going to be very exciting!”

So, game changer? Hard to say at this point, as the MXS-RH has only been flying for a short time. However, how can the lightest, fastest and most maneuverable production aerobatic aircraft not be? I can’t wait to see for myself!